priest and doctor of the Church
Biographical Information about St. Anthony of Padua[1]
Readings for the Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua[2]
Reading from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Cor 3:4-11
In this passage from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, the apostle is defending the Christian “Way” against Jewish factions that are clearly either attaching or claiming superiority over the faithful. In this part of his apologetic, he first compares the Covenant of Moses (which ends in death) with the New Covenant (which ends in eternal life). His concluding statements compare the relative glory of these two views with the view of eternal life out shining the fading glory of the Covenant of Moses which ends in death.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 8, 9
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
This psalm of praise and thanksgiving holds up the traditions of Moses and Aaron. The praise and respect given to the Law of Moses stands between Paul’s assertion that the new covenant superseded it and Jesus assurance that the Law of Moses stands firm..
Gospel Mt 5:17-19
In this passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel, those who believed that Jesus came to destroy the Jewish faith and law are refuted. The Lord tells them that he did not come to destroy the law even though he disagreed with the way some of those laws were being implemented. Rather he came to fulfill it, essentially give the law a reinterpretation through his own revelation.
Reflection:
If we continue the thought that “beginnings are difficult times" from a couple days ago we see more of that pain in scripture today. In the Gospel, we see Jesus reacting to implications that, because he was re-defining the Law of Moses, he had come to destroy the law. Change is painful and the Lord was emphatic. Just because he changed the way the Law was seen did not mean he did not fully support the “letter of the Law”.
In that same tormented debate, years later, after Jesus had already been condemned and crucified (under the law), we find St. Paul contrasting the two views. Mosaic Tradition he characterized as words carved in stone, while the New Covenant, forged in the Blood of Christ, he referred to as formed in “Spirit”. The old covenant ended in death, the new in eternal life. Indeed, Jesus did not destroy the Law with his divine revelation but he forever changed the way that Law was viewed.
While many of the Jews of his time viewed the Law with such reverence that it took on a glory of its own. The Lord put it in proper perspective. It was meant to reflect the ultimate commandment of God to His children; to love on another. It was this interpretation that took the Law from a strictly legal mentality to a lived faith that reflected the true will of the Father.
Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Anthony, one of the great doctors of the Church. In one of his sermons about the faith he writes on this very subject:
“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions.”
May we be guided by these words today as we remember that the Law serves God and we serve Him as well.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “The Vision of St. Anthony of Padua” by Vicente Carducho, 1631
[2] After Links Expire
Biographical Information about St. Anthony of Padua[1]
Readings for the Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua[2]
Reading from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 2 Cor 3:4-11
In this passage from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, the apostle is defending the Christian “Way” against Jewish factions that are clearly either attaching or claiming superiority over the faithful. In this part of his apologetic, he first compares the Covenant of Moses (which ends in death) with the New Covenant (which ends in eternal life). His concluding statements compare the relative glory of these two views with the view of eternal life out shining the fading glory of the Covenant of Moses which ends in death.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 99:5, 6, 7, 8, 9
R. Holy is the Lord our God.
This psalm of praise and thanksgiving holds up the traditions of Moses and Aaron. The praise and respect given to the Law of Moses stands between Paul’s assertion that the new covenant superseded it and Jesus assurance that the Law of Moses stands firm..
Gospel Mt 5:17-19
In this passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel, those who believed that Jesus came to destroy the Jewish faith and law are refuted. The Lord tells them that he did not come to destroy the law even though he disagreed with the way some of those laws were being implemented. Rather he came to fulfill it, essentially give the law a reinterpretation through his own revelation.
Reflection:
If we continue the thought that “beginnings are difficult times" from a couple days ago we see more of that pain in scripture today. In the Gospel, we see Jesus reacting to implications that, because he was re-defining the Law of Moses, he had come to destroy the law. Change is painful and the Lord was emphatic. Just because he changed the way the Law was seen did not mean he did not fully support the “letter of the Law”.
In that same tormented debate, years later, after Jesus had already been condemned and crucified (under the law), we find St. Paul contrasting the two views. Mosaic Tradition he characterized as words carved in stone, while the New Covenant, forged in the Blood of Christ, he referred to as formed in “Spirit”. The old covenant ended in death, the new in eternal life. Indeed, Jesus did not destroy the Law with his divine revelation but he forever changed the way that Law was viewed.
While many of the Jews of his time viewed the Law with such reverence that it took on a glory of its own. The Lord put it in proper perspective. It was meant to reflect the ultimate commandment of God to His children; to love on another. It was this interpretation that took the Law from a strictly legal mentality to a lived faith that reflected the true will of the Father.
Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Anthony, one of the great doctors of the Church. In one of his sermons about the faith he writes on this very subject:
“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. We are full of words but empty of actions, and therefore are cursed by the Lord, since he himself cursed the fig tree when he found no fruit but only leaves. It is useless for a man to flaunt his knowledge of the law if he undermines its teaching by his actions.”
May we be guided by these words today as we remember that the Law serves God and we serve Him as well.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “The Vision of St. Anthony of Padua” by Vicente Carducho, 1631
[2] After Links Expire
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